New Parliament opens session

TIRANA, Sep. 9 – Albania’s new parliament convened Monday, aiming to elect a new cabinet soon for the leftist Socialist Party-led coalition that achieved a landslide victory in the June elections.
The Socialists, led from Edi Rama, 49, who replaces former conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the center-right Democratic Party, campaigned on an ambitious pledge of achieving the next step toward eventual future membership in the European Union, deep reforms on the rule of law, fighting corruption and organized crime, and overcoming a threatening economic crisis looming over the tiny western Balkan country.
Albania, a NATO member since in 2009, has applied for EU candidate status. But so far that has been denied over criticism it has not done enough to fight corruption and push through democratic reforms.
The first session was very formal, procedural and short.
Namik Dokle, the oldest parliamentarian (Berisha did not accept to do the process) said a few words and then told the heads of the parliamentary groups to nominate a temporary commission that would check and verify the mandate of the lawmakers.
The move was completed Tuesday when the lawmakers also sworn in formally.
One of them, Vasil Bicaj of the Democratic Party, resigned to take part and his post moved to the next on list.
Besides journalists, the session was also followed by all the di0lomatic corps in the country.
Family members of the dead at the Jan. 21, 2011 opposition protest were also seen there, invited from the election winners, the Socialists. Many interpreted that as a sign that the new rulers will turn back to reopening and re-judging the alleged accountable officials for the death of the four then-opposition supporters.